Chapter Summaries

Ling Qing transformed the four Druid inheritances into new cultivation methods and prepared to refine his four Spellbooks into Dharma treasures corresponding to the Azure Emperor’s incarnations. He had established the methods and materials for the work, but had not yet begun the re-refinement.

• Ling Qing combined the Nine-Nine Form Refinement Art’s transformations with Wildness Templates and Druid bloodline information, renaming it the .
• Ling Qing consolidated the traits and bloodline information behind his spirit gods, separated benevolent and evil aspects of faith, and renamed the method the Heavenly Star Spirit-Taming Pearl Scripture.
• Ling Qing completed his transformations of the four Druid inheritances and examined the Spellbooks he had refined for Nature, the Wild, Summoning, and Elements.
• Ling Qing recalled how he had made the Spellbooks from exceptional materials, including Jianmu Tree wood, an elephant dragon’s hide, spirit-god essences, and rare elemental treasures.
• Ling Qing decided to derive spiritual restrictions from the four methods and re-refine the Spellbooks as Dharma treasures corresponding to the four incarnations of the Azure Emperor.

Ling Qing refined four treasure-restriction methods into plans for powerful magical artifacts, then ordered Ling State to destroy Zhu State and seek alliances with Lu and Teng. After Zhu State fell, Lu massed troops at the border, threatening Ling State’s takeover.

• Ling Qing created four treasure restrictions and named the artifacts they could refine: the Myriad Wonders Treasure Tree, Spirit-Commanding Whip, Galaxy Scroll, and Primordial Unity Banner.
• After Zuo Qiu Yi reported Cao Xu had captured Cao Kong, Ling Qing ordered Cao Xu to escort him to Dugu City and advance on Yi City to destroy Zhu State.
• Ling Qing sent Wenren Li to Lu State and Yan Yu to Teng State to propose an alliance against Qi State.
• Cao Xu captured Yi City and destroyed Zhu State’s ancestral temple, while Yan Ru’s officials took control of its cities under the old administrative system.
• Ling Qing received word that Lu State had stationed troops along its border and intended to attack Zhu State.

Ling Qing, Duke of Lu Ji Shu, and Duke of Teng Ji Hong formed an alliance in Yi City to resist Qi and Song, while Tian Wen’s diplomacy helped keep Qi occupied. The alliance ushered in a period of peace among the four states, and Ling Qing returned to Lingqiu City as another year passed.

• Ling Qing observed the divine true forms of Ji Hong and Ji Shu before the three rulers agreed to meet in Yi City.
• Ji Shu, Ling Qing, and Ji Hong swore an alliance against Qi State and Song State, binding their states with an oath before their true gods.
• At the alliance banquet, Ling Qing gave Ji Hong the method to refine a deity’s true body into a guardian god of the state.
• Tian Wen returned from his missions after stirring a dispute between Qi State and Chu State over Xue City, diverting Qi’s attention from the alliance.
• The allied states enjoyed an unprecedented peace, and another year passed.

Ling Qing sought Ji Yan’s help in speeding the completion of his divine edicts and offered the Zhou court a method for feudal kings to avoid the harm of prayer-thoughts. He proposed restoring the age of eight hundred feudal lords, and the chapter ended with Ji Yan finding something unexpected in the jade tablet.

• Ling State absorbed Zhu State and grew into a nation with a thousand war chariots, while Ling Qing had condensed only half of his divine edicts.
• Ling Qing summoned Ji Yan and gave him a jade tablet containing a method for refining a divine true body into a state guardian god.
• Ling Qing offered to help the Zhou court share a method that would protect feudal kings from prayer-thoughts in exchange for a deal with the Son of Heaven.
• Ji Yan suspected Ling Qing intended to replace Zhou State, but Ling Qing said he wanted to restore the age of eight hundred feudal lords.
• Ji Yan argued that Zhou State lacked the strength to revive the old order, so Ling Qing told him to examine the jade tablet again, and Ji Yan noticed a difference in the method.

Ji Yan supported Ling Qing’s plan to make Zhou State the true suzerain by granting feudal lords authority to cultivate state guardian deities. Ji Bian put the plan into action, boosting Zhou’s fortunes while secretly encouraging lords to break away from their rulers, and the other states discovered his ambition to restore Zhou’s power.

• Ji Yan consulted Xu Xing about Ling Qing’s plan, and Xu Xing urged him to support it and carry it to Ji Bian in Luoyi.
• Ji Bian disguised Ling Qing’s method as a secret art from King Wen and secured supplies and soldiers from the feudal kings in exchange for the right to cultivate it.
• The rulers of Qi, Zhao, Wei, Han, and other states began practicing the method, while Ling Qing lit more than twenty stars on the Galaxy Scroll and Zhou’s national fortune surged.
• Ji Bian used the offerings to recruit disciples of the School of Diplomacy and the School of Names, sending them to persuade ambitious lords to establish independent states under Zhou’s authority.
• Loyal nobles in Qin and other states exposed Ji Bian’s scheme, and the feudal kings learned that he intended to divide their territories and restore the Zhou Dynasty.

Ji Bian and Ji Yan prepared Zhou State to withstand an alliance of feudal lords while Zhou’s enfeoffed states weakened their enemies from within. As the conflict stalled, a Master and the man from Chu State both set out for Ling State, while Ling Qing reviewed the Galaxy Scroll.

• Ji Yan reported that Zhou State’s fortified passes and mechanical beasts could delay the allied armies, and Ji Bian put him in command of Zhou’s troops.
• Ji Bian planned to hold Luoyi until the feudal states’ internal conflicts forced them to withdraw and leave room for a counterattack.
• A Master traveling through Wei State heard how Zhou’s enfeoffments had sparked internal strife, declared the game could no longer be played, and redirected his convoy to Ling State.
• In Chu State, the man who had once slept beneath a parasol tree with a qin in his arms finished playing and set off north with his friend.
• In Lingqiu City, Ling Qing examined the Galaxy Scroll and nodded in satisfaction.

Ling Qing explained that the wars he had provoked would lead to a new order, while Huizi and Mencius challenged him over the suffering they caused. Zhuangzi stopped Mencius and Shen Dao from fighting, then asked Ling Qing whether his actions were good or evil.

• Ling Qing used the feudal lords’ accumulated foundations to accelerate the formation of spirit gods and planned to seize the world’s fortune once they withdrew from Luoyi.
• Zhuangzi and Huizi appeared, and Huizi accused Ling Qing of bringing endless war and suffering upon the people.
• Ling Qing argued that the chaos was a necessary upheaval before great order and compared the Central Plains to a sick body whose festering sores had to be cut away.
• Mencius condemned Ling Qing, but Shen Dao defended him and argued with Mencius until Zhuangzi restrained them.
• Zhuangzi asked Ling Qing whether what he had done was good or evil, comparing his choice to diverting a runaway train between tracks holding five people and one person.

Ling Qing defended his choice to cooperate with Zhou State and Ji Bian, then summoned sages and scholars to debate whether his path of establishing divine star gods should be followed. The debate began with arguments over the gods’ authority and the people’s hearts, leaving Mencius and Shenzi at odds.

• Ling Qing told Zhuangzi that his choice was selfish but not evil, while Zhuangzi argued that the dispute concerned the human heart and the Dao.
• Ling Qing invoked his authority as ruler and brought the gathered sages into the Numinous Illumination Chamber, where he summoned scholars and others from across Ling State.
• Ling Qing displayed the Galaxy Scroll and asked whether his path should be taken and how it should proceed.
• Yin Wenzi explained that ancient people modeled themselves on Heaven and Earth, while the Severing of Heaven and Earth had diminished the power of divine and sacred beings.
• Mencius warned that Ling Qing’s gods could free rulers from the people’s restraint, and Shenzi countered that divine beings embodied the laws of Heaven and Earth.
• Shenzi accused Mencius of speaking of rites and benevolence without recognizing them, and Mencius began to reply.

As the sages debated the nature and rule of spirit gods, Ling Qing experienced the Dao’s cycles of creation and returned to consciousness as they proposed establishing a divine court. Their plan was to separate gods and humans completely, but the sages questioned how they could raise a court when heaven and earth were severed.

• Mencius, Yin Wenzi, Shenzi, and the other sages manifested their Dao resonances, causing strange visions over Ling State as Ling Qing watched the Heavenly Star Jewels change.
• Ling Qing experienced repeated cycles from primordial chaos through the birth and end of heaven and earth, and saw eternal spiritual lights shining through them.
• After Ling Qing awakened, Zhuangzi, Mencius, Yin Wenzi, and Shenzi urged him to establish a divine dynasty and order the world of spirit gods.
• The sages built their proposed divine order on Ling Qing’s six implements, assigning the gods of six directions to rule heaven and earth and arguing that gods and humans should live apart.
• The sages agreed to raise a divine court, but asked how they could do so while heaven and earth remained severed; Ling Qing sensed that something about their proposal was wrong.

Ling Qing and the Masters arranged to separate the mortal world from the divine realm, leaving Ling Qing to prepare the Heavenly Realm and Divine Court while Ji Yan reestablished Great Zhou. The chapter ended with Ji Yan crowned Son of Heaven and ordering the construction of 365 Dharma Altars.

• Ling Qing proposed creating a separate Heavenly Realm, and Ji Yan agreed to lend his Jianmu Tree as its foundation.
• Zhuangzi and the Masters decided to end the feudal wars, establish a divine dynasty, and strip divine bloodlines from rulers who remained in the mortal world.
• After the Masters departed, Ling Qing sent Hundred Schools disciples to announce their decision and began refining divine edicts from the Galaxy Scroll.
• Ji Yan summoned the feudal lords to an alliance at the Luo River, where Ji Bian used the Millet King God and the authority of the Common Sovereign to restore Great Zhou.
• Ji Bian passed the throne to Ji Yan, who gained control of the Jianmu Tree and ordered the feudal lords to build 365 Dharma Altars.

Ling Qing completed his Mystic Altar foundation and attained the fruition of a Human Immortal by condensing his Innate One Qi into a divine talisman. Afterward, he discovered that the Beast Skin Scroll had transformed into an ancient star map filled with cultivation methods and assigned its contents to his spirit deities.

• Ling Qing formed the final Mystic Altar, united his essence and qi, and created the Innate One Qi Divine Talisman.
• Ling Qing unleashed the talisman’s radiance across Ling State, then withdrew it into his middle dantian and confirmed that he had attained Human Immortal fruition.
• Ling Qing opened his Tiger Skin Pouch, but a streak of rainbow light escaped and he captured it with a Divine Talisman.
• Ling Qing found that the Beast Skin Scroll had fused into one volume and now displayed ancient stars, cultivation methods, and images of strange beasts.
• Ling Qing merged the Beast Skin Scroll with the Galaxy Scroll and let his spirit deities slowly sort through the cultivation methods.

Ling Qing reviewed his magical treasures and prepared to open the Heavenly Realm with the Son of Heaven and raise the Divine Court. He told Yan Ru and the others that only people with awakened divine bloodlines would be able to ascend, leaving most ordinary people behind.

• Ling Qing stored the Nine-Layer Azure Gate and several treasures in his lower dantian, then assessed the rest of his collection and planned to refine more treasures later.
• Ling Qing left his bedchamber and summoned Yan Ru and the others to convene court.
• Ling Qing announced that he would soon join the Son of Heaven in opening the Heavenly Realm and ascending to the Divine Court.
• Ling Qing warned Yan Ru and the others that the newly opened Heavenly Realm would be a wasteland and that not everyone could ascend.
• Ling Qing explained that the Masters' edict would seal dormant divine bloodlines, so only those who had awakened and used their bloodlines could ascend with the feudal kings.

Ling Qing prepared to relinquish his rule and lead those who wished to ascend to the Heavenly Realm through a ceremony in Luoyi. After thirty-six days of fasting, he and Ji Yan stood ready at the great altar as the ascension rite was about to begin.

• Ling Qing ordered Yan Ru to count those in Ling State who wished to ascend, arrange the handover of their authority, and keep order among the people.
• Ling Qing left Lingqiu City with Ling Ji and Wenjun, consoling them about parting and telling them to cultivate freedom of body and heart.
• In Luoyi, Ling Qing told Ji Yan he had relinquished his title and asked whether preparations for the rite were complete.
• Ji Yan reported that sacrificial altars had been built throughout the Central Plains and that the feudal states were ready; Zhou State would return to Ji Bian.
• Ling Qing set the rite for after thirty-six days of fasting, and the lords and ministers seeking ascension gathered at the altar with Ji Yan and Ling Qing.

Ling Qing and Ji Yan established the Nine Provinces barrier and created a heavenly realm from Ji Yan’s Jianmu Tree, then the feudal lords claimed its symbols of authority. After the sages of the Hundred Schools preached and ordered the gathered gods to keep order between gods and men, Ji Yan and the others pledged to obey.

• Ling Qing linked the Heaven-sacrificing altars, purified the gathering, and raised a barrier around the Nine Provinces.
• Ji Yan planted his Jianmu Tree as incense, and Ling Qing used the Galaxy Scroll and talisman to transform it into the Four Directions, Nine Layers, and Thirty-three Heavens.
• Ling Qing opened the Heavenly Gate, and Ji Yan led the feudal lords and high ministers into the new heavenly realm, where he claimed its precious seal.
• The rulers of Qin, Qi, Chu, Lu, Wei, Zhao, and Han claimed ritual jades and other treasures, while the remaining lords took positions in other heavenly palaces and halls.
• Ling Qing established a platform above the Nine Heavens, where sages of the Hundred Schools expounded their doctrines and instructed the gods to maintain order between gods and men.
• Ji Yan led the gathered rulers and gods in pledging to follow the sages’ instruction.

Ling Qing and the other masters established heavenly rules, separated Heaven from the mortal world, and spent three years building and refining the new Heavenly Realm. After leaving the instance, Ling Qing reunited with Zhang Yang, Chang Miaoyu, Ling Ji, and Wenjun, discussed what they had gained, and said goodbye.

• Ling Qing read the heavenly rules established by Mencius, Shenzi, and the other masters, and Ji Yan and the others swore to uphold them.
• The masters departed for their divine posts as Ling Qing formed a starry barrier around the Heavenly Realm and refined his treasures there for three years.
• Ling Qing returned from the instance and joined Zhang Yang, Chang Miaoyu, Ling Ji, and Wenjun at the filming site before they went to their hotel.
• Zhang Yang thanked Ling Qing for opening the Heavenly Realm, where Zhang Yang had built the Celestial Craft Office and forged equipment, while Chang Miaoyu had developed the Contending Schools Sword Art.
• Ling Qing and Zhang Yang discussed how the kings and their ministers had organized the Heavenly Realm and how Ji Bian had restored control over the mortal states.
• Ling Qing left with Ling Ji and Wenjun, and the children asked Chang Miaoyu to visit them again.

After nearly five years in the instance, Ling Qing returned to Qingyun Mountain with Ling Ji and Wenjun, where he found the Realm Tree had expanded the mountain’s blessed land. He gave the tree the spirit gods’ star authorities, causing it to grow dramatically and bringing Qingyun Mountain under its control.

• Ling Qing and Chang Miaoyu parted ways, and Ling Qing led Ling Ji and Wenjun back to Daoqing Temple.
• Wenjun reunited tearfully with Third Aunt, while Ling Ji hurried home to find Zhong and Sister-in-law Zhong.
• Ling Qing learned from Daoist Yunsheng that little had changed at Daoqing Temple, then examined the Realm Tree and its growing influence over Qingyun Mountain’s terrestrial veins.
• Ling Qing draped a phantom river of stars from the Galaxy Scroll over the Realm Tree, granting it the authorities of the three hundred and sixty-five spirit gods.
• The Realm Tree blazed with azure light, surged in size, and caused Qingyun Mountain to shake as it expanded its control over the mountain.

Ling Qing surveyed the expanded Qingyun Mountain after the Realm Tree’s growth and reassured Daoist Yunsheng that the blessed land was safe. He then organized his cultivation methods and treasures, reflecting on their grades and the few that had become true magical treasures.

• Ling Qing discovered that the Realm Tree had grown to a hundred meters tall and Qingyun Mountain had expanded, connecting the mountain’s surroundings to the tree.
• Daoist Yunsheng asked what had happened, and Ling Qing told him the blessed land had expanded; Daoist Yunsheng went to reassure the temple residents.
• Ling Qing empowered the Earth Sha Trees with the Earth Sha Array Diagram to help them gather vital energy as the Realm Tree continued growing.
• Ling Qing copied four cultivation methods and sorted through the Hundred Schools’ texts and arts, including Xu Xing’s Instant Bloom method.
• Ling Qing reviewed his treasures and explained that the Galaxy Scroll and Wanhua Whisk had condensed spiritual radiance and become magical treasures, while the Three Lights Divine Sword was close to doing so.

After completing the first step of Refining Essence into Qi, Ling Qing began cultivating his five viscera and six bowels through breathwork and elemental qi. He finished his first practice session and reflected that strengthening his organs would require patient daily cultivation.

• Ling Qing stored his cultivation method and materials, then entered a quiet chamber to practice refining his viscera.
• Ling Qing used the six breaths and directional elemental qi to nourish his liver, heart, lungs, kidneys, and spleen.
• Ling Qing also cultivated his gallbladder, continuing until the qi of his viscera and bowels filled the Triple Burner.
• Ling Qing concluded the exercise, noted that the method required steady daily practice, and went to the Realm Tree by Spirit Radiance Pool to check his information.

Ling Qing reviewed his cultivation after reaching the Human Immortal Realm and led the Daoists of Qingyun Mountain in scripture chanting and morning practice. He left them to their own tasks after the lesson.

• Ling Qing examined his simplified cultivation panel and reflected on the divine abilities he had gained, including the Primordial One Qi Great Grapple.
• Ling Qing led Daoist Yunsheng, Ling Ji, Wenjun, and the others in chanting the Clarification Chant and Eight Divine Incantations, filling the blessed land with a peaceful Dao resonance.
• Ling Qing reminded everyone that the Dao required steady practice, then led them to the Cloud Terrace to train.
• Daoist Yunsheng practiced the Soaring Cloud Sword techniques as he refined himself, while Ling Hongcai, Ling Hongyou, and the others worked to open their meridians.
• Great-Grandfather Ling Zhenggu practiced the Peacock Five-Ultimate Palm to guide qi and nourish his body.
• Ling Qing dismissed everyone to their own tasks after the morning lesson.

Ling Qing advised Ling Ji and Wenjun on how to advance their cultivation after their years in the Warring States instance. Ling Ji chose to establish his foundation before learning more beast-form arts, while Wenjun waited for her spiritual-root choice to become clear; both then went to spend time with their family.

• Ling Qing explained that Ling Ji could either condense acupoints and refine apertures to cultivate the Wondrous Form True Body or master every beast-form fist art first.
• Ling Ji chose to condense his acupoints and refine his apertures before cultivating the true body.
• Ling Qing told Wenjun that her Seven Treasures and Eight Virtues were ready, but she needed to settle her heart and choose what spiritual root her Myriad Transformations Spirit Seed would become.
• Wenjun admitted she had not decided, and Ling Qing reassured her that her heart and intent would align when the time was right.
• Ling Ji and Wenjun left to find their family, and Sister-in-law Zhong quit her job to spend her days with Ling Ji.